


Lost in the Rain

by Adriaak



Series: "I am wasting my life writing trashy self-insert fanfictions because i'm a garbage fire" [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination Attempt(s), Bisexual Sakura Futaba, Blood and Violence, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Character Study, Childhood Trauma, Dogs, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kitagawa Yusuke & Sakura Futaba Friendship, Lesbian Takamaki Ann, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, Loss of Limbs, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Morgana gets Lost, No Beta read we die like men, Oblivious Sakamoto Ryuji, Original Character(s), POV Morgana (Persona Series), POV Multiple, Sakura Futaba Attends Kosei High School, Shadows (Persona Series), Story Inspired by my own Cat!!, Takes place after Futaba's Palace, Trans Male Character, Wingman Takamaki Ann, Yakuza, [Headcanons After Each Chapter!], [Minor Original Character] Cherrie Shurio, [Minor Original Character] Suzuki Kaito, [Original Character(s) Re-Sheets and Concept Artwork after some Chapters!], [Original Character] Suzuki Kiri, lots of canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23422549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adriaak/pseuds/Adriaak
Summary: After infiltrating Futaba's palace, changing her heart, and also gaining a new member of the Phantom Thieves, Morgana somehow gets himself separated from the rest of the Phantom Thieves during a heavy rainstorm. Impatient, wet, and cold, Morgana hides out under a cardboard box for shelter, and is thankfully, he is found by a strange boy named Kiri, who takes him home and cares for him until the rain stops.However, after chatting with the boy's dog Rex; Morgana learns a little about Kiri's past--fully deciding to take it upon himself to find out the truth behind Kiri, while also using him to get in contact with the rest of the Phantom Thieves--who are scrambling to try and figure out what to do now that Morgana isn't there to help them.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren & Arsene (Persona Series), Amamiya Ren & Sakura Futaba & Sakura Sojiro, Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Niijima Makoto/Sakura Futaba, Sakamoto Ryuji & Suzui Shiho, Sakamoto Ryuji & Takamaki Ann, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Series: "I am wasting my life writing trashy self-insert fanfictions because i'm a garbage fire" [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1519877
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	1. Rain Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic was inspired by my own cat; Shadow; who looks almost identical to Morgana.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets were almost bare now, and Morgana was losing his temper. “God! Why did it have to rain! I hate the rain and everything about it-!”
> 
> “So this is where all that mewing was coming from.”
> 
> Startled, Morgana glanced up at the figure that was now looming over him. The figure was tall and skinny, carrying an umbrella and wearing a purple jacket--similar to Ryuji’s.

Cold. Overcast. And rainy. Very rainy.

Morgana watched the mass amounts of people along the streets scurry around trying to escape the downpour like ants escaping from a sprinkler. He flicked a few drops of water off of his whiskers as he sheltered himself from the rain under a dampened cardboard box.

_Nope. Nope. Is that Ann? Wait, no.. that person has black hair…_ Morgana thought to himself.

He sighed. “I can’t believe that _I_ , of all people, got separated from the group! Stupid Ryuji! This is his fault isn’t it? He thought it would be a good idea to lead us into the crowded station!”

Morgana groaned and flexed his claws, digging them into the less-than-dry cardboard underneath him. “Guess I’ll have to wait out this rain here… whether I like it or not..”

The streets were almost bare now, and Morgana was losing his temper. “God! Why did it have to rain! I hate the rain and everything about it-!”

“So this is where all that mewing was coming from.”

Startled, Morgana glanced up at the figure that was now looming over him. The figure was tall and skinny, carrying an umbrella and wearing a purple jacket- similar to Ryuji’s.

The figure squatted down to Morgana’s level, and reached out a hand towards his head. Morgana hissed and swiped at the figure’s hand, missing it by an inch.

“Oh quit your fussing. I’m not going to hurt you, I’m just gonna get you out of this rain.” The figure spoke gently, managing to pat Morgana’s head.

Morgana shrunk back for a moment until the figure had mentioned getting him out of the rain. _Might as well go along with it… I mean, once this rain clears I’ll be able to sneak off and find my way back to Leblanc._ He noted to himself.

He let out a solemn _Meow~_ and was swiftly picked up and placed in the figure’s shoulder bag. Morgana stuck his head out and got a better view of the figure’s facial features. The figure had short, curly, dark lavender hair, and forest green eyes.

On the right side of the figure’s cheek were two scars- which seemed to be attached to a much larger scar that was hidden by the figure’s jacket.

* * *

They had come to a stop, and the figure fumbled with a set of keys attached to a blue lanyard. Lavender hair opened the door and locked it behind them once inside, and sat their shoulder bag down on the kitchen counter. Morgana lept out and shook any remaining water off of his fur, and began furiously licking his paws, trying to dry them.

He was suddenly lifted up, and Morgana let out a startled hiss and shut his eyes as what was to come. When he opened them again, he was lying on a fluffy blanket. Beside him were two bowls; one filled with milk and the other filled with some lumpy orange and white concoction.

Morgana sniffed the strange concoction. It smelled weird, like as if someone had mixed sushi-rice with something super sweet. His nose crinkled at the smell, and he backed away from it. “Bleh.”

_Clack, Clack, Clack._

Morgana spun around to face where that strange noise had come from, only to see Lavender hair standing just a few feet away from him in the kitchen. _Ah so they’re a guy.. Huh._ Morgana thought to himself. The boy had lost his jacket and umbrella, which were hanging by the door, and he was now wearing a blue tank top that looked like it was from some anime about sports and superpowers. 

Lavender hair walked out of the kitchen area now, and Morgana could finally see what was making that weird clicking noise. The boy’s right leg was replaced with a prosthetic one that stopped halfway up his thigh. 

Morgana could also see Lavender hair’s scar much better now. It didn’t end just at his neck, but pretty much covered his right shoulder and part of his chest. How he had gotten it was the last thing Morgana wanted to know, aside from how this kid lost his right leg.

The boy sat down on the couch near where Morgana was lying on the floor. A few moments later a loud bark could be heard, and from down the stairs came a large, fluffy white dog with pointy ears. Every hair on Morgana’s body stood on end as the dog came barreling into the living room.

"Kiri! Kiri! Kiri! You’re home! You’re home! You’re home!" The dog barked happily.

“Oh you silly pupper, Rex! I was only gone for an hour! You’ve probably only been sleeping since I left, haven't you?”

"Can we play? Can we play? Food? Walk?"

“Ah, so his name’s Kiri..” Morgana mewed to himself.

Rex spun around to face him. _Should not have said that out loud!_ Morgana gulped, arching his back as Rex bounded over to him.

“A cat?? Where did you come from?? I’ve never seen a cat around here before!” Rex braked excitedly.

“I’m not a cat- and have you ever heard of personal space?!” Morgana hissed, swiping at the dog’s muzzle.

Rex backed up but it wasn’t long before he was distracted by Kiri calling his name from the kitchen. Before he ran off, he looked back at Morgana with a happy face. “My name’s Rex by the way. I also see that Kiri made you some sweet-potato and baby rice! You should try it! It’s really good, Kiri only makes it if you’re sick or if it’s your adoption-birthday!”

Rex scampered off into the kitchen, leaving Morgana and the bowl of un-eaten sweet-er.. potato?? and baby rice; aside from the empty bowl of milk, alone.

Morgana gulped, sniffed the concoction again; his nose again scrunching up to the smell. His stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten anything since they had completed Futaba’s palace. 

_Might as well just eat this weird stuff instead of starve… bleh…_ Morgana complained in his mind.

He took a very, very, very reluctant nibble of the mix. Then another. And another, this time a full bite.

_That dog was right! This is delicious!!_

* * *

A few minutes later and Morgana was lying in his back stretching beside the empty bowl that once held that delicious concoction.

“I knew you’d like that.” Kiri laughed softly, picking up both empty bowls in one hand, and giving Morgana a belly rub.

Kiri ambled over into the kitchen and began washing the bowls out in the sink. Morgana leapt up onto the window seal nearest to the door, and peered through the drapes. It was still raining, but it was slowed down now- just about to a soft drizzle.

_Soon as it stops raining, I can leave this place!_ Morgana hissed to himself in amusement.

“What are you looking at, cat?” Kiri laughed from the stairs now, and he disappeared into a room at the top of them.

* * *

“What _are_ you looking at?” Came a soft bark from beside Morgana. It was Rex.

“None of your beeswax, that's what.” Morgana hissed, turning back to continue watching the rain.

“Okay.. well.. Why are you here?”

Morgana rolled his eyes. “Because your stupid owner brought me here, duh.”

Rex furrowed his doggy eyebrows. “Kiri isn’t stupid! He’s just misunderstood!” He huffed, “So why did he bring you here? Are you lost or something?”

“Yes- I mean no! I’m not lost! I just got caught in the rain, that's all!” Morgana spat.

“So you are lost.”

Morgana sighed and face-pawed himself. “Ugh.. fine. So what if I got lost? As soon as this rain clears, I’ll be on my way!” He huffed in an annoyed manner.

“Oh. Do your folks know that you’re lost?” Rex asked, coking his head to the side slightly.

“Yeah. I’m a big part of our team- I mean group. A big part of out group cause I’m what makes them happy.”

Rex hummed in agreement, and laid his head on the window seal near Morgana. There was silence between the two before Rex spoke up again.

“These days I’m usually the only thing that makes Kiri feel happy.”

Morgana glanced at Rex with curiosity. “Huh? What do you mean?” He inquired, swishing his tail.

“Yeah. Ever since Kiri arrived here he’s always been sad. I can sense it, but I’ve never pinpointed an exact reason why.” Rex grumbled.

Morgana turned back to the window, thinking to himself. “What’s Kiri’s family name?”

Rex glanced up at him. “Suzuki. But I don’t know his original family name. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. Wait, what?”

“Kiri’s step-dad, Suzuki Kaito took him in after Kiri got out of the hospital. Lost his leg in a car accident. Dunno where his biological parents are. Probably out-of country.” Rex replied with a gruff tone. He stood on his paws and began walking towards the stairs. “The rain’s stopped, so you can get goin on wherever you were going. If you ever need anything, feel free to go around the back and use the dog door. It’s always unlocked.”

Morgana nodded and followed Rex out of the dog door and around to where there was a tall wooden gate that attaches to the rest of the fence. Morgana leapt up onto the fence gate and looked back at Rex.

“Well, thanks for letting me stay, Rex. Tell Kiri thank you.” Morgana called, watching Rex walk off.

“Will do, cat!”

“I'm not a cat!”

"Whatever! See ya later!" Rex replied, disappearing behind the corner of the house.

Morgana smirked and with that, he leapt off the gate and began to make his way to Leblanc. _Kiri might know something that neither Rex and Suzuki knows. I should inform the others that we may have a new possible target._ He thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover Art done by me!


	2. Cafes in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where was the last place you remember seeing him?”
> 
> “Right after we were leaving Futaba’s home. I remember it being super rainy.”
> 
> “Then we could look there--maybe ask Futaba if-”
> 
> “Ask me if what?” A voice from behind Ryuji chirped, making Ryuji jump a bit.
> 
> In the doorway stood the ultimate hacker herself-- Futaba Sakura, her arm intertwined with the queen herself--Makoto Nijima. Makoto smiled gently and waved at the boys. 

“Whaddaya mean Morgana is missing?” Ryuji asked, partially annoyed and irritated; for he never really cared for Morgana--mainly because the cat was always pointing out some dumb flaw that he had.

Ren looked at Ryuji from across the booth from where he was sitting. It was mid-morning in Cafe Leblanc, and the blonde had stopped by for one of his usual visits with the raven haired boy.

“I noticed he wasn’t with me when I woke up this morning.” Ren spoke, brushing some of his bangs out of his eyes and placing a hand on his chin. “He usually sits on the dresser near the stairs telling me to go to sleep. But I must have been so used to our sleep schedule that I didn’t notice he was gone.”

Ryuji huffed softly and re-positioned the hand in which he was holding his face. “Well, what’re you gonna do? Make posters saying ‘lost stupid cat’ or somethin’?”

Ren pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Maybe. I have yet to tell the others what happened.”

“Where was the last place you remember seeing him?”

“Right after we were leaving Futaba’s home. I remember it being super rainy.”

“Then we could look there--maybe ask Futaba if-”

“Ask me if what?” A voice from behind Ryuji chirped, making Ryuji jump a bit.

In the doorway stood the ultimate hacker herself-- Futaba Sakura, her arm intertwined with the queen herself--Makoto Nijima. Makoto smiled gently and waved at the boys. 

The pair walked over towards the booth where the two boys were sitting, Futaba waving to Sojiro as she walked past the bar area. Ryuji switched sides and sat beside Ren, while Futaba and Makoto sat across from them.

“So, what were you going to ask me?” She inquired, pushing her glasses further up onto her nose.

“Morgana is missing.” Ren replied, glancing at her.

Futaba’s mouth hung open with shock and awe, while Makoto’s eyes widened.

“Futaba it’s rude to let your mouth hang open.” Sojiro reminded her from behind the bar where he was cooking.

Her mouth snapped shut, but it did not stop the stream of questions that began to flow from her mouth after that.

“What? He’s gone? Where did he go? I thought he was with you the whole time! Did you see where he went?” Futaba asked, question after question.

“I don’t know where he went. I can also guess that he wasn’t at your home because of all the questions you’re asking.” Ren responded with a soft laugh.

“What are we going to do? He’s an important member of the Phantom thieves, so we have to find him!!” Futaba chided.

Ryuji rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Where should we start looking?”

“We should start from Futaba’s home, then search around from there, maybe make some posters too.” Ren said.

“Futaba and I could make some posters,” Makoto presented. “But I don’t know if we should hang them up now, because it’s going to rain again today and the rest of the week.”

Makoto was right, through the window Ren could see that the sun still wasn't visible through the overcast and grey clouds that filled the sky. Putting up posters would be useless in the rain, they would get soggy and fall apart.

“So what should we do?” Ren asked.

Makoto tapped her chin. “Well, I think we should split up into pairs and search around the city. He couldn’t have gone far.”

Ren nodded his head. “Alright. I’ll go ahead and grab my umbrella from upstairs. You got one Futaba?”

“Yep!”

\--

The four of them walked to Futaba’s home and then split into pairs, this way they’d be able to cover more ground. Futaba went with Makoto, while Ren stuck with Ryuji.

It was mid afternoon when it started raining again. Futaba watched people scurrying like the rats from Ratatouille whenever the humans came into the kitchen--only this time it was the humans fleeing from the pouring rain. She sighed and rested a hand on her cheek.

Her and Makoto had been searching for Morgana all morning, and around noon Makoto said that they should take a break and get away from the rain for a little bit--as she didn’t want Futaba to catch a cold. So the two decided to stop at a cafe near Shibuya for some warm drinks and snacks.

Makoto glanced up from her green tea, having heard Futaba’s sigh. “You okay?” She asked, placing down her cup.

“What if we never find Morgana?” Futaba guessed, her eyes still fixated on the window, watching people trying to escape the downpour.

Makoto looked at her blankly, then smiled at her with reassurance. “We’ll find him, I’m sure. Besides, he’s our friend. He wouldn’t just abandon us like this.” She spoke softly, placing her hand on Futaba’s.

Futaba turned away from the window and glanced at Makoto with a smile. “Yeah, you’re right.. I just hope he’s alright.” She said, rubbing Makoto’s hand gently.

-

Makoto had started dating Futaba a couple days after infiltrating her palace. Makoto will never forget how the orange haired girl had confessed to her after school, two days after changing her heart. She still has the letter pinned on her bulletin board.

After that, the two had started spending a lot more time together. Their first date was in Futaba’s room, curled under a blanket with junk food watching the one-hour season finale of _Feather Man_. 

Futaba remembers the exact moment during one of the fight scenes when the two of them caught each other glancing at the other; how Makoto unconsciously cupped Futaba’s face; how Makoto’s scarlet eyes fluttered down to Futaba’s lips for just a brief moment, as if asking a question without words; and how the two of them softly kissed each other while the episode continued to play in the background.

It was a night Futaba would never forget.

-

Futaba finished eating the slice of castella when the bell over the cafe’s door rang, signifying that someone had entered. She glanced up to see who it was and she partially gasped when the figure removed their hood.

“What’s up?” Makoto asked.

“That guy at the counter? I’ve seen him around Kosei’s campus!” Futaba whispered. “Here he comes!”

The boy walked past their table and settled at a table near the corner of the cafe by the window. He had short, curly, dark lavender hair, and from what Makoto could tell, green eyes. 

She could see part of a scar on the right side of his face that seemed to be connected to a much larger scar, hidden by the boy’s jacket--which looked similar to the purple jacket that Ryuji usually wears.

Makoto watched the boy for a few more moments as he pulled his computer and headphones from his backpack, along with a notebook and some textbooks. He then opened his computer and plugged in his headphones then got to work studying.

Makoto looked back at Futaba. “Do you know him?” She asked.

Futaba shook her head. “No. He is in some of my classes though, I’ve also seen him with Kosei’s track team; I think he does hurdles and long-distance.”

“Sounds like Ryuji almost.” Makoto said, sipping her tea. “Guess Ryuji’s got some competition on his hands.”

Futaba giggled, “He wears a prosthetic leg, and he’s one of the track team’s greatest runners.”

“That’s interesting. Maybe you should introduce yourself to him next time you see him around on campus-- you know, so that you have other friends at school other than just Yusuke.” Makoto hummed.

“You’re right.. But I’m so awkward when it comes to interacting with new people.” Futaba huffed, resting a hand against her cheek. “But I’ll give it a shot.”

Makoto smiled. She glanced back at the boy who was deep in his school work, his eyes shifting from his computer to his textbooks and back to his notebook with sharp precision. 

She didn’t think much of the boy, other than the fact that she could’ve sworn she had seen him somewhere.. But she couldn’t remember where.

  
  


Her mind wandered, and Makoto hummed to herself. “I wonder how the boys are doing?” She thought.

\--

“Uhg, it’s already late in the afternoon and we still haven’t found him!” Ryuji complained, laying his head down on the table at his favorite ramen shop.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find him soon. We still have yet to ask Ann and Yusuke, so maybe they’ll know where he went.”

A waitress came by with their two bowls of ramen and the two began to dig in. Unlike Futaba and Makoto, Ren and Ryuji had been searching longer with no results. After awhile, Ren decided that enough was enough and that he and Ryuji needed a break.

So Ren decided to treat Ryuji to his favorite ramen shop.

“Why’d Morgana have to go and get lost anyways?” Ryuji bugged, slurping up his noodles.

“He probably got lost on the way back from when we walked Yusuke back to the station.” Ren replied.

“Yeah, I know that--but what if he just did it for attention or somethin’?” 

Ren paused and glanced up at him. “Why do you say that?”

Ryuji finished his ramen and slumped back in his chair. “I dunno, maybe cause’ he’s always been makin’ rude ass comments about me? He’s just always been a huge jerk to me!” He huffed, bouncing his right leg irritably.

“What has he said to you that made you angry?” Ren asked, putting his chopsticks astray in his bowl.

Ryuji scoffed. “Why would you care? You guys are always picking his side of the arguments we’ve had.”

Ren looked at him while maintaining eye contact. “Because _I_ care about you Ryuji.”

Ryuji’s face was dusted with a soft pink after hearing Ren’s statement. _He_ actually cared about him? Ren didn’t even try to correct himself by saying ‘I- _We_ care about you Ryuji.’! 

“I mean, if you really want to know then be my guest. But let's talk ‘bout it somewhere else maybe?” He suggested.

Ren nodded and called over a waiter. He paid for their lunch-dinner, now realizing that it was getting quite late. The streets were practically bare of people, and the rain continued to come down in what felt like sheet after sheet. They began to walk back to Leblanc when Ryuji spoke up again.

“Mind if I stay over tonight? I don’t feel like walking in this rain.” Ryuji asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Sojiro had already closed up for the night and Futaba and Makoto must already be home by now.

Ren twisted the ‘Open’ sign on the cafe’s door to where it said ‘Closed’, locked the door, and motioned for Ryuji to follow him upstairs.

“So what is it that Morgan points out about you?” Ren asked, seating himself on his bed.

“Well.. He’s always calling me out on stuff that I don’t understand, or whenever I mess up on something--especially if I forget something.” Ryuji huffed. “I mean, come on! Just because I can’t remember some stupid shit about personas doesn’t make it okay for you to go off about it on me!”

Ryuji slammed his fist down on the bed in frustration. He grit his teeth just thinking about the numerous time that Morgana had gone off on him for being dumb or acting like a lunatic.

Ren put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey-- It’s gonna be okay.”

“No it’s not _okay_!” Ryuji objected, shoving Ren’s hand off his shoulder. “Every time I try to get Morgana to shut his mouth, you guys always take his side! Every f-fucking time!”

He threw a floppy punch at Ren, who caught Ryuji’s fist in his hand. He uncurled Ryuji’s fist and intertwined his hand with the other boy’s, almost unconsciously. Ryuji looked up at him with sore, teary eyes--his face was red and wet from the tears streaming down his face. How long had Ryuji been bottling up all these emotions?

Ren pulled Ryuji into his arms and hugged him. He could feel Ryuji’s shaky breath as he sobbed into Ren’s shoulder, so he began rubbing small circles along Ryuji’s back--calmly whispering, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ ‘Just let it out.’ ‘I’ve got you.’ ‘I’m here for you.’

After a little while, Ryuji’s sobbing died down, and he had stopped crying.

"I'm sorry." Ryuji whispered.

"For what?"

Ryuji pulled away from Ren and put his forehead against his. "For makin' ya listen to my stupid vent. It's stupid--all of it."

Ren looked at him with a sympathetic look strewn across his face. "But it's not stupid. I didn't know that Morgana made you feel that way. I had no idea that you had been bottling up all of those emotions."

Ryuji turned his head to the side. "Course' ya didn't." He huffed. "You were always picking Morgana's side whenever he and I got into arguments."

"It was like you didn't even care."

Ren placed a hand on Ryuji's cheek, turning his head so that he was facing him again. "But I do care about you." He said softly, "I have always cared about you."

Ryuji looked up at him. "Then how come you never picked my side during the arguments between Morgana and I?"

"I would ask you if you were doing okay, but all you'd say was 'I'm fine', and brush it off." Ren replied, caressing Ryuji's cheek unconsciously. "I didn't think much about it then, but now I know why--and I want you to know that when we do end up finding Morgana--I am going to have a very, _very_ , long talk with him; because he should know that it is not okay to put someone down like that."

Ryuji nodded his head slowly in response. His eyes dropped down to Ren's lips then back up to his silvery eyes, as if asking a very simple question--quiet and wordlessly. Ren smiled and pulled Ryuji into a soft kiss, that only lasted a few moments--but felt like an eternity for the two of them. Ryuji pulled away, his heartbeat and breathing quickening with every second that passed, only spacing out into the deep, silvery pools that were Ren's eyes.

Ryuji grinned--a big goofy grin--then mentally saying 'fuck it' and diving back into those silvery pools as he kissed the boy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy writing Ryuji with the headcannon that he has Adhd. It really allows me to write what I feel as a person with Adhd, mainly because a lot of people have taken advantage of me because they think I'm stupid or dumb. It's when I lash out at them for taking advantage of me that they say 'why are you so violent?' or 'why do you yell all the time?'. I yell because people have refused to listen to me. I resort to violence because people think that they know what it's like.
> 
> But they don't.


	3. Group Projects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cherrie raised her hand. 
> 
> “Yes, Cherrie?”
> 
> “Will we be able to pick our partners?” She asked.
> 
> “Unfortunately, no.” The teacher replied, being serenaded by the groans of the other students. “Now continuing on…”
> 
> Futaba could hear Cherrie groan in annoyance from behind her. She felt the exact same way Cherrie did. She didn’t know very many people in her classes, so when it came to being assigned a partner--it was incredibly awkward. 

Kiri blinked away whatever sleepiness he had and sat up in his bed. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, then reached for his phone that was sitting beside him on his nightstand--in front of a picture frame that contained a photo of himself and his guardian, Kaito.

He had yet another sleepless night, besides the fact that he had taken melatonin and burned a lavender incense before he went to bed that night. Kiri glanced at his alarm clock--5:45 A.M. He sighed and swung his leg over the edge of his bed. Reaching down, he picked up his prosthetic leg that he uses for casual wear and strapped it onto what was left of his right leg.

After Kiri stood up and stretched some more, he made his way downstairs to get ready for school. Kiri knew that Kaito had already left for his job as a nurse, judging by the smell of toast still permeating through the kitchen. 

He flipped the light switch on in the kitchen and popped a bagel into his mouth. He slowly nibbled on it as he got his uniform on and brushed his hair. After finishing the bagel and brushing his teeth, he grabbed his jacket, backpack, and phone and headed for the front door.

Kiri tied his shoes, gave the sleeping figure of his dog Rex a rub on the head, and was out the door. 

-

He didn’t get very far however, because that cat he had saved from the rain was sitting in his path.

“What the…” Kiri mumbled. “Hello??”

The black and white cat purred and rubbed up against Kiri’s right limb. Kiri bent over and picked him up, holding him in front of his face so that he could get a better look at the creature.

“Well aren’t you a peculiar kitten, aren’t you?” Krir sighed, holding the cat in his arms and booping it on it’s nose.

The cat sneezed and Kiri mumbled a quiet ‘bless you’ to it before speaking again. “I thought you’d gone off on your way after I sheltered you from the rain.”

The cat let out a crisp meow and purred as Kiri scratched the cat from behind, making Kiri smile.

“I can’t feed you that special food today silly--it's only for if you get sick. But I’ll let being caught out in the rain an exception.” Kiri laughed softly, setting the cat back down on the ground. “Would you like to walk with me to school? You can hide in my backpack when we reach the subway.”

The cat meowed again and rubbed its head against Kiri’s limb.

Kiri smiled again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

-

The cat and Kiri were nearly at the station now, and Kiri was glancing at some strange app that had appeared on his phone. _That’s strange. Is this some new tracking device app like the one everyone complains about in America? Might as well delete it._

He deleted the strange icon from his phone. 

Kiri had to admit that he had never seen an app like that one before. It was red and black--and the pattern on the icon formed some sort-of eye with a star in the center of it.

The cat meowed again, catching Kiri’s attention. He smiled and opened his backpack, letting the cat hop in. “Be quiet now. I’ll let you know when we arrive, so just keep tight.”

He closed the bag just enough so there was a little opening for air, then boarded the semi-crowded subway. On the subway he sat down in the handi-caped seat, and placed his bag in between his feet.

\--

Futaba managed to wake up early enough to catch the semi-crowded subway that would take her and Yusuke; who had met up with her at the station; to Kosie high. Since Futaba couldn’t reach the hand rails above her, she would cling to Yusuke’s arm for support. 

While clinging to his arm, she noticed that sitting over in the handicapped seat of the subway was the lavender-haired boy from the cafe. He looked tired, and Futaba wondered if he had gotten any sleep yesterday; for the boy had been studying at the cafe before she and Makoto left that day.

“What are you looking at?” Yusuke asked, noticing Futaba’s train of thought wandering.

Futaba snapped out of her trance, shaking her head. “Oh, nothing.” She replied, “Just spacing out.”

Yusuke hummed in agreement. “Was it perhaps you were looking at Kiri?”

Futaba cocked her head to one side. “Wait, you know him?”

“Yes, Kiri. He’s in art class with you and I, and I think he is in History with you.” Yusuke said.

Kiri must have heard their conversation, as the boy glanced in Yusuke and Futaba’s direction. Yusuke smiled and gave him a small wave, to which the lavender haired boy did the same. 

When the train came to a stop, Yusuke and Futaba exited the train and headed for Kosie. Yusuke turned and stopped for a moment, prompting Futaba to try and pull him forwards--so that they could continue walking.

“What are you doing?” Futaba asked, tugging at his sleeve.

Yusuke sighed for a moment, then turned and continued walking towards the school. “I was looking for Kiri, but I guess we will see him in class.”

“Why are you so interested in him?” Futaba pondered, “Is it because he has a prosthetic leg?”

Yusuke shook his head. “No. I find the features of his skin quite fascinating, though. Never in my life have I seen a scar that beautiful.”

Futaba smirked and punched him in the arm. “Dude you’re so weird.”

They were at the gates now, and the two waved goodbye as they headed for their first class. Futaba glanced over to look for Kiri, and she spotted him near the track field shuffling around through his backpack--next to a cat that looked… an awfully lot like Morgana..

Futaba shook her head, clearing her mind. No that couldn’t be Morgana, she couldn’t tell what color the cat’s eyes were. She sighed, hoping that the Phantom Thieves would be able to find Morgan before they had to move onto their next target--whoever that might be.

\--

It was around noon when Futaba had art class with Yusuke. She seated herself at the desk beside him, and she watched the other students file into the classroom. Kiri entered the classroom, and seated himself behind Futaba and Yusuke--next to the redhead girl Cherrie. 

-

She was one of Futaba’s other friends at Kosie--the girl had introduced herself when Futaba transferred to Kosie, and helped Futaba find her way around the campus. The girl was hyper at times, and probably had adhd like Ryuji, but she must be on medication to keep her focused.

Other than that, she was actually a really nice person.

-

Class began as usual--the teacher giving a lecture on the importance of artwork and how it conveys emotions and blah blah blah blah. Futaba didn’t usually take notes as often as Yusuke or Cherrie did; so she would just copy from their notes.

“Now that we are done with that, I can start going over your next group art project.” The teacher stated.

This caught Futaba’s attention. Group art projects? They were fun; if you knew what you were doing--but not so much if you were the one doing all of the work. 

Cherrie raised her hand. 

“Yes, Cherrie?”

“Will we be able to pick our partners?” She asked.

“Unfortunately, no.” The teacher replied, being serenaded by the groans of the other students. “Now continuing on…”

Futaba could hear Cherrie groan in annoyance from behind her. She felt the exact same way Cherrie did. She didn’t know very many people in her classes, so when it came to being assigned a partner--it was incredibly awkward. 

The teacher began to call out the names of students who would be pairing up for this project. Yusuke got paired with some other girl, while Cherrie was paired up with one of her other friends.

“Futaba, you will be paired with Kiri…” The teacher stated, continuing to name off students until she was at the bottom of the list. “Alright, now please talk amongst yourselves with your partner. If you don’t know them, please feel free to introduce yourselves and then get straight on to working on your projects.”

Yusuke was already at the other side of the classroom chatting with the girl he had been partnered with, and Cherrie was over at her other friend’s desk talking with them about whatever.

“Are you Sakura Futaba?”

Futaba looked up to see that it was the lavender haired boy she had seen at the Cafe yesterday and from when she was on the train with Yusuke. She nodded in response to his question. “Yeah. But please, call me Futaba.”

“Alright.” The boy started, extending his right hand out to her. “My name is Suzuki Kiri. Nice to meet you.”

Futaba nodded, and shook his hand. Kiri sat down beside her in Yusuke’s seat, and they both began to work quietly on their project.

“I heard from Cherrie that you’re one of the new students who transferred here a little while ago, am I correct?” Kiri asked, catching Futaba off guard.

“Y-yes!” She squeaked suddenly. “Sorry, you caught me off guard.”

The boy laughed softly for a moment before turning back to his notebook, continuing to talk. “It’s fine. I was still nervous after I transferred here too.”

“Really?” Futaba asked. “What made you?”

“Oh I transferred from Shujin to here because I wasn’t doing too well with one of the teachers.” He said, scribbling down some more notes. “It was a little bit after they had another transfer student join the school; something about probation or something--I don’t really remember. Poor guy had more rumors floating around than I did when I first went there.”

Ren. He was talking about Ren. “Did you ever get to meet him?” She inquired.

“Only once, it was semi-brief.” Kiri replied, setting his pencil aside. “He and his blonde friend were asking if anyone had any dirt on that old hag Kamoshida. I remember him asking if Kamoshida had anything to do with my leg, and I got angry at him and told him to buzz off.”

“Now that I think back to it, I may have been a little too harsh on him.” Kiri continued. “I do sometimes wonder if he’s still holding fast back at Shujin--especially after I heard Kamoshida confessed to all of his horrendous crimes.”

Futaba remembered Ren and some of the others telling her about the time they took down Kamo-shit-face’s place. She could understand why Ren might’ve asked Kiri if Kamo-shit-face had anything to do with the fact that Kiri had a prosthetic leg. 

She was lost in her thoughts when Kiri asked her a question. “What about you? What made you transfer to Kosie?” He asked, looking at her now.

“Oh, well…” She paused for a moment. Should she tell him? No. He wasn’t ready for the truth. But? Maybe he understood the stuff she had been through? No, Futaba didn’t want to risk it. 

“I was home-schooled by my dad for a while after my mom left. Then I had to pick a high school, so I came here.” She half-lied.

Kiri actually believed her! “Oof, I feel ya.” He hummed, glancing at the clock on the wall above the whiteboards. 

Noticing that the bell was just a few minutes from ringing, he asked her a question. “Hey, do you want to meet up somewhere after school so we can keep working on the project? Anytime is fine with me.” He said, scribbling down some numbers on a piece of paper, then handing it to her. “Here’s my phone number if you need anything.”

She thanked him, and took the paper. The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Futaba went on the rest of the day thinking about Kiri. How did he get that scar that seemed to run down his shoulder? What caused him to have a prosthetic limb?

At the end of the day she met back up with Yusuke, waving goodbye to Cherrie and heading towards the station. “Who’s your partner for the project?” Yusuke asked as they walked.

“Oh, I got paired with Suzuki Kiri, the boy you noticed me looking at when we were on the train this morning.” She said.

“How wonderful. I was paired up with a girl named Sakino Kass. Such a sweet girl she is. She has so much artistic passion.” Yusuke sighed as they both boarded the train.

Futaba giggled. “Good to see that you’re actually making friends Yusuke.”

“I should say the same for you.” Yusuke added. “I remember on your first day you were so scared that you accidentally bumped into Cherrie, causing her to spill some paint on herself. You were terrified, but Cherrie laughed it off saying something along the lines of ‘it shows wear and tear’, and thus you two became the best of friends.”

Futaba elbowed him in the ribs playfully. She would never forget the moment she had met Cherrie. Such memorable times.

Futaba glanced around the crowded train and noticed that Kiri wasn’t there. _He must have track practice today._ She thought.

\--

Kiri did have track practice, but it had just ended. He walked out of the locker rooms, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel and throwing his track bag over his shoulder along with his backpack.

He waved goodbye to his fellow track members, and was just out the school gates when he saw that same black and white cat again, sitting on the steps leading into the school--almost as if the cat had been waiting for him to get out. 

“You again? I’d thought you’d have run off by now!” He laughed, bending down to give the cat a head rub.

The cat meowed happily and rubbed up against his limb, as if asking a question. “You want to ride in the car with Cherrie and I? She’s taking me home today. Usually I’d take the train but I gotta clean my sports leg, and I don’t feel like carrying two bags on the train.”

He spotted Cherrie sitting near the gate entrance, and he called to her. She waved to him cheerfully as she ran over. “Hey Kiri!” She squealed, smiling brightly. “How was your day today?”

“Mine was good.” Kiri responded, picking up his sports bag and putting it over his shoulder. “You?”

As she spoke, she noticed the cat that was standing near Kiri’s limb. “Oh my god, a kitty!!” She squealed excitedly, reaching for the cat. The cat backed away and jumped up onto Kiri’s shoulder to get away from the girl.

“Guess he only likes you, Kiri.” Cherrie laughed. “I can see why, though. You’ve always been kind to animals.”

Kiri laughed and gave the cat a pat on the head. “Yeah, I guess so. Are you ready to go?”

Cherrie nodded and did some funky pose that Kiri could only imagine was from Feather Man. “Yep! The cat can even join us too.” She cheered as they began walking over to her car that was parked on the other side of the street.

As Cherrie started the car, Kiri got a text from Futaba.

_4:45 PM_

_Futaba > Kiri _

**Futaba:** Heya

**Kiri:** Sup

**Futaba:** Where do you want to meet up after school tomorrow?

**Futaba:** So we can get a head-start on our project

**Kiri:** Sure, we can work at my place tomorrow, if you’re comfortable.

**Kiri:** if no we can always work somewhere else

**Futaba:** No it’s fine! We can work at your place tomorrow ^w^

**Kiri:** alright, sweet. 

**Kiri:** are you okay with dogs?

**Futaba:** yeah, why?

**Kiri:** oh, well I have a great Pyrenees named Rex who lives in my house

**Kiri:** he's a big softie, so i think you’ll like him

**Futaba:** alright! I’ll meet you in front of the school after we get out!

**Kiri:** okay, see you then :)

Kiri smiled and turned off his phone, and went back to watching the scenery go by as Cherrie drove on. He had a big day ahead of him tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling that Cherrie and Futaba would probably play online games together, like Minecraft or Overwatch or something.


	4. A Thieve's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She spun around to see Morgana crawling out from underneath the bed, carrying what seemed to be a necklace between his teeth.
> 
> “Morgana?! Where the hell have you been!” She almost yelled. 
> 
> “SHH!! Kiri might hear you!" Morgana hissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i just bs my AP lit test? Yes.  
> do i regret it? no.  
> do i care about the AP tests? not really.

Morgana leapt out of Kiri’s bag once he was out of his friend's car. Kiri waved goodbye and quickly turned and made his way up to the door. Morgana followed him, sneaking up the stairs and into Kiri’s room while the boy was distracted with Rex.

Morgana glanced around the room. It was about a quarter of the size of Ren’s attic room, but with lots of posters, anime figures, and string lights that hung from the ceiling. He also noted the pastel colored striped flag that was hanging above the boy’s bed; it was blue, pink, and white.

_That’s a strange looking flag to have in one’s room._ Morgan thought to himself. _I wonder what it represents?_

Never mind that. Morgana was looking for anything that had to do with Kiri’s past. He leapt up onto Kiri’s bed, and glanced around again. A sparkly glint caught his eye, and he made his way over to the night stand.

There, gently lying next to a photo of what looked to be Kiri and his guardian Kaito, was a slightly faded gold locket.

_A locket… what’s inside it, I wonder?_

He snatched the locket between his teeth; and leapt off of the bed. He could hear Kiri making his way upstairs, so he squeezed himself under the bed, dragging the locket with him.

“Cat? Hey cat! Where’d you go?” Kiri called.

_I’ll leave the locket under here for now. When Futaba comes over, I’ll sneak into her bag and be on my way!_ Morgana snickered to himself.

\--

“So… do we have any leads on the whereabouts of Morgana?” Ann asked, between mouthfuls of food.

Ren shook his head. “No, not yet. Though there is some good news.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” 

“Futaba’s been making new friends over at Koise. Said that she’ll be hanging out at her new friend Kiri’s house so that they can work on a project together.” Ren replied, finishing his remaining rice.

“Hm. I hope she doesn’t freak out about going to a new place. I know how nervous she can get when going to new places..” Makoto hesitated. “But it’s good that she’s making new friends!”

Ann nodded along in response. “Anyways, did you guys see the news last night….”

-

Soon, it was the end of the school day, and Ryuji met Ren on the roof of the school.

“You wanted to talk?” Ryuji asked, as he leaned against one of the various tables scattered around the roof area.

Ren stood in front of him, a soft smile planted on his face. “Just wanted to see you.” He said, leaning forwards and planting a chaste kiss on Ryuji’s lips.

Flustered, Ryuji playfully pushed Ren’s face away with his hand; to which Ren kissed as well. “Dude, stop being such a sap… you get to see me everyday.” 

Ren smiled and removed Ryuji’s hand from his face, moving in and kissing the blonde on the cheek.

“Ren…” Ryuji whined. “Come on… can we do this somewhere private…? Besides we still have to search for Morgana again.”

Ren kissed Ryuji on the lips once more and sighed. “Alright. Let’s get going.”

Ryuji smiled and pecked Ren on the cheek as they made their way to the stairs.

\--

It was already the end of the school day for Futaba, and she waited outside the school with Yusuke. She watched as the many other students streamed out of the school gate and onto the sidewalk, where they were meeting up with friends, getting rides home, or making their way to the station. However, Futaba could feel the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around aggravatingly, and her mind was filled with lots of 'what if’ scenarios.

“Are you alright, Futaba?” Yusuke asked, noticing her in deep thought.

Futaba snapped up, breaking her train of thought. “Yeah.. kind of.” She sighed. “I’ve never been invited to a person’s house before. Though I have been to Makoto’s home a few times, that was only because we’re dating.”

Yusuke nodded in response. “Don’t overthink it too much, Futaba. Kiri is an extremely kind-hearted person. I’m one-hundred percent sure that he wouldn’t do anything to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

Futaba smiled and felt the butterflies in her stomach lessen a bit, thanks to Yusuke’s small pep talk. Was it even a pep talk? _Probably just a semi-pep talk_ , Futaba laughed to herself.

“Speak of the devil, here comes Kiri and his friends.” Yusuke noted, to which Futaba glanced up to see Kiri chatting with Cherrie and Kass.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kiri called as he waved Cherrie goodbye. “Don’t forget to return my manga book back to me once you’re done reading it!”

“I will!” Cherrie hollered happily as she drove off in her car.

Kiri finished waking to Cherrie and turned to Futaba and Yusuke, who were standing near him now. “Oh! Hey Futaba. Hello Yusuke.” He said with a soft smile.

“Greetings Kiri.” Yusuke hummed, turning to Kass who was standing beside him. “Shall we make our way to Leblanc, Kass?”

Kass nodded and smiled. “Yep! See you guys tomorrow!” She called as she and Yusuke turned the corner waving goodbye.

Kiri returned the waved and turned to Futaba, who was now feeling a little bit nervous again, now that it was just here and Kiri.

“Come on, let’s start heading to the station, shall we?” Kiri asked.

Futaba didn’t say anything, but nodded her head in agreement and the two began walking side-by-side to the station.

-

Once off the train and in Shibuya, silence still reigned supreme between the two of them. It wasn’t too awkward; at least for Kiri. Futaba on the other hand… yikes.

“So, uh… do you watch any anime or TV shows?” Kiri asked out of the blue, catching Futaba by surprise.

“Yes!” She squeaked. “Yes.. I am a big fan of FeatherMan.”

Kiri hummed in agreement. “Me too. I’ve watched almost every episode that’s been released. Currently, I'm catching up on the manga.”

“So I’m guessing that Cherrie also really likes Featherman too?” Futaba asked, a bit more relaxed.

Kiri nodded his head. “Oh yeah. Mention anything about Red Featherman and Silver Featherman and she’ll go ballistic!” He laughed. 

Futaba laughed at the thought of Cherrie losing her marbles over Red and Silver, the look on her face would probably be priceless. She felt more comfortable now, and less nervous than she had been when Yusuke wished her good luck before departing on his way to Leblanc with Kass.

The two continued to chat about their favorite Featherman episodes until they had reached the door to Kiri's home. Kiri fumbled with his house key and opened the door, letting Futaba in first. 

On the outside Kiri’s house looks a lot like the ones that Futaba had seen in pictures of San Francisco, California over in America. It wasn’t too spacious, but it had a kitchen and dining room, small living room, and stairs leading to the bedrooms upstairs.

Kiri flipped on the lights and within two seconds of Futaba stepping foot into his home, she was tackled by an enormous fluffy white dog.

“Oof!” Futaba grunted as the dog's nearly body slammed her to the floor. Within seconds she was laughing as the dog began licking her face and giving her doggy kisses.

Kiri grabbed the dog's collar, trying to pull the big puppy off of her. “Rex! No!” He laughed hysterically. 

“Hahaha! No! Stop it!” She laughed, trying to stop the bombardment of slobbery dog kisses. “I already get enough from my girlfriend as is!”

She suddenly froze. Shit. Did Kiri hear her say that? Oh god. _Oh god no._ Futaba silently prayed that Kiri hadn’t heard her say that aloud.

Lucky for her, Kiri wasn’t paying too much attention to what she had said, and finally managed to pull Rex off of her. He extended a hand out and helped her back to her feet.

“Sorry about that… Rex gets super excited when meeting new people.” Kiri sighed apologetically. 

Futaba laughed and shook her head. “No, no! It’s completely fine! It's what I get for being short.” She said, rubbing Rex’s head.

The two of them laughed together for a couple moments, then Kiri motioned for her to follow him upstairs, and flipped the light switch on in his room. Almost instantly, Futaba noticed the trans flag hanging on the wall above Kiri’s bed, aside from the various anime, rock bands, and movie prints and posters hung on the walls. 

His bookshelf was filled with novels and manga too, along with a few anime figurines. Kiri made his way over to where his desk was; which had a fairly nice computer and monitor; and turned on the record player that was sitting beside it.

Futaba set her stuff down by the bed and gazed around the room. “You have a record player? That’s actually fucking cool!”

Kiri smiled as he pulled out a small crate from underneath his desk. “Yeah, I know right? Do you like heavy metal by any chance?”

Futaba shook her head. “Never heard any. Is it good?” She asked, “I usually listen to either lofi hip hop or anime intros. EDM is good too.”

“Mhm. Well let me introduce you to my personal favorite, _Megadeath._ ” He laughed, placing the record on the player and putting the needle on.

The two of them began working on their project, while heavy metal music played in the background. Surprisingly enough, the music was actually pretty good. After a while, Kiri asked if she wanted anything to eat, and left to get some food from downstairs.

Futaba continued to type away at her computer effortlessly.

“Finally, I thought he’d never leave the room!”

She spun around to see Morgana crawling out from underneath the bed, carrying what seemed to be a necklace between his teeth.

“Morgana?! Where the hell have you been!” She almost yelled. 

“SHHH!! Kiri might hear you!" Morgana hissed. "It’s a long story, just get this locket to Ren please!”

She took the locket from between Morgana’s teeth and examined the precious thing. Upon opening it, Futaba gazed upon a small picture enclosed inside. 

“Are… are these Kiri’s relatives? Why do you want me to show this to Ren?” She asked, swiftly (while also half-heatedly) placing the locket in her bag. Futaba didn’t really want to steal such a precious looking thing from her new friend, but it must have something to do with their next target, so she had to.

“I need you to lure Kiri to Leblanc. He might have something to do with our next target, and I feel like he’s hiding something too.” Morgana said. “He doesn’t have a palace though. Keep that in mind.”

Futaba nodded her head and Morgana slipped back under the bed right as the door opened to Kiri holding some snacks and she soon got back to work and left that night with Kiri’s locket in her possession.

The first stage of Morgana’s plan was in place.

It was only a matter of time before Kiri would realize something important to him was missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's only goin to go downhill from here for the next few chapters bois--

**Author's Note:**

> this is a definite cry for help
> 
> the quarantine has gotten to me


End file.
